Prayer Chain

I was driving home alone from Mass recently and experienced a rare post-Mass time of silence and reflection. Out of habit, I plugged my iPhone to the charger and, as usual, the car radio began to play a random music selection from my phone. Even though this always happens, I wasn’t paying attention or expecting this because my mind was elsewhere.

Then I noticed the music.

It was an extraordinarily beautiful chant piece. Immediately my heart was lifted to prayer, but I was curious as I didn’t recognize the artist even though I knew it came from my selection on my phone. When I came to a stoplight I looked down at the display and was pleasantly surprised to see the face of Kitty Cleveland. The name of the compilation was also listed: Sublime Chant.

Decades ago I began a serious exploration of prayer. One of the things I noticed in prayer was that the music I regularly listened to would show up in my head as I was trying to pray. By this time in my life the my music preferences didn’t glorify sin or other dark matters. However, the tunes would inevitably stick in my head and were always ready to invade my prayer time.

Early on, as I was thinking through this challenge, I also began to listen to chant. I think I was first introduced to chant as a Protestant when secular stations picked up and popularized a chant album by Benedictine Monks.

As I began moving toward the Catholic Church my interest in chant increased. One of my favorite artists as a Protestant was John Michael Talbot. I soon learned that he had a chant album as well and so I purchased that and began to make chant a more normal part of my life. This continued as I became Catholic and I noticed that this decision helped me to calm my intense temperament.

I also noticed something else that surprised me; chant never disrupted my prayer.

When I say never, I really mean never. Even if I listened to chant prior to prayer, there is something about the nature of this form of music that doesn’t lend itself to the same kind of endless replay as does music in popular culture or Christian music that follows the style of popular culture.

As well, even if a chant piece was floating around in my head, it never distracted me from prayer. As time went on my prayer improved significantly as my music choices included more chant and more toned down Christian music.

Often when folks are trying to develop a healthy prayer life they don’t take into account factors that influence their prayer that are completely outside of the realm of prayer.

If you find your prayer time disrupted by popular music (in style or lyrics), you might try introducing more chant into your play list. If I might make a suggestion, Kitty Cleveland’s Sublime Chant album would be a great place to start. Her voice is exceptional and the particular approach of this album reveals a haunting beauty that draws the heart to prayer.

I pray that your adventure into sublime chant results in an experience of sublime prayer.

“Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14

St. Francis parishioners have had a faithful group of prayer warriors for a number of years. These men and women receive parishioners’ prayer requests via email. All on the prayer chain remember the prayer intention daily for two weeks.

For further information contact the parish office at 503-625-6185.

Please note: If you are looking for a place to enter intentions to be prayed for during weekend Mass, there is a book for intentions in the narthex that will be remembered at Mass.

The maximum number of form submissions has been reached. This form is currently not available.

Prayer Request
REQUIRED

If you would like confirmation of your request, please enter your contact information below.